total

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   damage beyond the point of repair

   My son totaled our new car

2. 2
   noun

   An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.

   A total of £145 was raised by the bring-and-buy stall.

3. 3
   noun

   Sum.

   The total of 4, 5 and 6 is 15.

4. 4
   adj

   Entire; relating to the whole of something.

   The total book is rubbish from start to finish.  The total number of votes cast is 3,270.

5. 5
   adj

   Complete; absolute.

   He is a total failure.

6. 6
   adj

   Defined on all possible inputs.

   The Ackermann function is one of the simplest and earliest examples of a total computable function that is not primitive recursive.

7. 7
   verb

   To add up; to calculate the sum of.

   When we totalled the takings, we always got a different figure.

8. 8
   verb

   To equal a total of; to amount to.

   That totals seven times so far.

Etymology

From Middle English total, from Old French total, from Medieval Latin tōtālis, from tōtus (“all, whole, entire”) + -ālis, the former element of unknown origin. Perhaps related to Oscan touto (“community, city-state”), Umbrian 𐌕𐌏𐌕𐌀𐌌 (totam, “tribe”, acc.), Old English þēod (“a nation, people, tribe”), from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂ (“people”). More at English Dutch, English thede.